Gustavo "El Loco" Quintero

Cumbia and tropical music singer, songwriter and musician Gustavo Quintero was born on December 23, 1939 in Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia. He is acknowledged as the first showman of Columbian tropical music. Before his music career started, he attended the Édgar Poe Restrepo school in Medellin, showing his musical skills quite early. He became involved with singing in church choirs and studied at the School of Fine Arts in Medellin. He became involved in several now-legendary musical acts including Los Teen Agers in the mid-1960s, Los Hispanos in the late ‘60s and Los Graduados in the 1970s and 1990s. Some of his most popular songs include “Celia” (with Los Teen Agers) and “Asi Empezaron Papa Y Mama” (Los Graduados). His most prolific period was his time spent with Los Graduados, who released over two dozen albums between 1969 and 1992. Gustavo Quintero died of stomach cancer on December 18, 2016.